What is: WAMP

WAMP is an acronym for “Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP.” This is based on the earlier and similar acronym, ‘LAMP’, which stands for “Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP.”

As I’m sure you might have guessed, LAMP refers to servers running the Linux operating system. WAMP on the other hand refers to servers using Windows as the operating system.

In terms of function, both are very similar to one another. The choice between them fundamentally comes down to your choice of operating system.

Why WAMP?

Together, these four elements are known as a software “stack” because they work together but each layer in the “stack” has a different job to perform.

WAMP is especially popular for local development, which involves running a website on your own computer for testing and development purposes before deploying it to a live server.

• Windows

Very few true server machines run Windows as their primary operating system, so WAMP is primarily for people who want to install WordPress on their personal computers at home. You can install WordPress on your WAMP server and work on your site without affecting the live version. This allows you to test new themes or plugins, experiment with code changes, and debug issues without risking your live site.

• Apache

Apache is the world’s most popular software for web servers. When someone first visits your WordPress website, it is Apache that delivers (or “serves”) the information that the user sees on their screen.

• MySQL

MySQL is known to be one of the world’s most popular relational database systems. The role of MySQL in your stack is simply to store and organize all of the content on your website. This includes user profiles, comments, posts, pages, and media files. If you’re running a WordPress site for example, MySQL would store your posts, pages, comments, and other data.

• PHP

PHP is a programming language and the one in which WordPress is written. All the communication between the layers of the stack is done using the PHP programming language.

Who Uses WAMP?

WAMP is primarily used by developers, so it’s really important you are confident and know what you’re doing before installing it. WAMP can be downloaded here and installed with the click of a single button on computers running the Windows operating system.

WAMP is also used in educational settings, where students can learn about web development and experiment with building their own websites in a controlled environment. It’s also used by businesses and organizations that run their own web servers on Windows machines.

Keep in mind that a WordPress site installed using WAMP is only accessible to you (or someone using your personal computer). If you want your site to eventually be connected to the internet and attracting volumes of traffic, you will need to have both a domain and a web host.